


Carve

by ljke



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), aphmau - Fandom
Genre: M/M, i just think they are cool, laurmau if you squint upside down, they are gay and in love and jess missed out by not putting them together, very light romantic inference
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-19 03:16:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19967146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ljke/pseuds/ljke
Summary: Laurance has a day off. Garroth has a secret.In which Laurance gets to peer under the armor.





	Carve

**Author's Note:**

> i just wanted them to have a friendship because jess never touches on it in mcd and thats pretty clapped

Laurance couldn't say it was a bad day out. As much as this unusual boredom hit him, the trees swayed with glee and spread youthfully for the sun. The children, the number of whom he had lost count of years ago, were barking with laughter that echoed across the whole village. He even saw a squirrel or two jumping from branch to branch on their way home above his head. 

He couldn't say  _ he _ had anywhere to be running like that. For once, it was quiet in his life. For the years since he had met Aphmau, his entire existence had been a bunch of running and jumping and yelling and saving. But today, oddly enough, there was no crisis to avert. No damage to control. No tears to wipe. 

On second thought, he was a bit grateful for that. It gave him time for his heartstrings to unwind from around his throat. Maybe too much, he thought, thinking back on moments ago in Aphmau's home on the hill. He had gone to his Lord ( _ his _ Lord, not the Lord of Phoenix Drop, for she would forever be his only liege) to ask her if she had any duties for him, no matter how vigorous. Her only response, much to his chagrin, had been,

"Laurance, you can't babysit me forever. I'm a grown woman, an ex-Lord–" (he had protested this part, saying she would always be a Lord to him) "–and I have kids of my own to keep an eye on. Go out, find something nice to do that doesn't have to do with me, okay?"

Upon seeing how lost his expression became, her own had softened. She approached him and put a hand on his shoulder, knowing him well enough by now to understand when  _ he _ needed guidance from  _ her _ for once, and not the other way around.

"Look, there's plenty to do here. You don't know everyone in town that well yet, right, even after living here a while? Maybe you can go mingle with them? You gotta know em in order to wanna protect em, right?"

Laurance nodded weakly, his head somewhat downcast but his gaze locked with a far corner of the room.

Aphmau wasn't convinced. "Or… Maybe there's some chores to do around the guard tower? Ask Dante," she paused to smile, those eyes he'd long loved lighting some with amusement, "he's always got the energy to boss someone around."

This made Laurance huff indignantly, standing straighter and crossing his arms. "And give his ego a boost? Hell no. I'm tired of listening to that guy when I actually  _ have _ to, I'm not gonna spend  _ any _ of my time off bumping heads with him."

Aphmau laughed, and he felt something bloom in his chest much like the spring flowers just outside the door. He'd chuckled along with her until she removed her hand from his shoulder and crossed her own arms, shooting him a teasing look. 

"Now, Laurance, don't be mean. I thought you guys were just  _ so _ close! Practically  _ blood brothers _ !"

"Hey! Just cause I said that doesn't mean I can't–"

The words caught in his mouth, his jaw closing abruptly in surprise when he and Aphmau both turned to find an infant at the top of the steps, crying loudly.

"Mummy, mummy, Lebin say'd he eat me!" The girl clung desperately to the railing at the top of the stairs, dipping her toes down to the next step like she was testing the water in a pool. She wasn't tall enough to make it, and this only worsened her frustration and fear. "Don't wanna get eated!  _ Mummy _ !"

Laurance's brows rose and he cast Aphmau a glance, murmuring, "'Mummy'?"

The short woman went to tend to her child, and finally spared him an answer when she came back down with the toddler propped on one hip. "I guess so. Garroth's been watching the kids more lately. He's good with them." The pang of jealousy he felt only worsened when she smiled in thought. "I guess they're picking up on his O'Khasis baby talk."

Aphmau looked up at him like a lightbulb had sputtered to life over her head. "Why don't you go see him? He's always had a hard time relaxing, too, so I'm sure you guys can help each other out!"

So here he was, only about a hundred yards from the barracks with hope and dread forming a bourbon in his gut that made him as dizzy as a night on the town. He was close to Garroth, of course, so he had no reason to be nervous, but the two had never simply… hung out. Most of their companionship derived from blood on a blade, sweat on their backs. Laurance had no doubt he  _ wouldn't _ enjoy being around the O'Khasian, but it was just something new. 

Having time off was something new.

He pushed open the heavy metal door to the barracks and breathed in the familiar scent of crushed grass and wet stone. His feet navigated the halls by instinct to find the room that read  _ Ro’meave  _ in thick iron letters across the worn oak. His fist rose, and he knocked. Lighter than he hoped he would, so he repeated the action with false confidence. 

He'd hardly had to knock at all, for that thick voice came from the other side like it hadn't been used in a long time, saying, "Alright, alright. I heard you coming down the hall."

Soon after, the only sound to be heard was a creaking and the one of wood brushing over stone underfoot for the thousandth time. Garroth recognized Laurance with some shock, and then moved out of the doorway to suggest the other guard come into his quarters. "Laurance," he spared a smirk, closing the door behind them, "You've a bit of a stomping problem."

"Ah, damn. Sorry if I woke you or something."

Garroth shook his head, running a gentle hand through his hair and curling his spine as one would if they  _ had _ just woken up. "No no, not at all. I was just…" He seemed to find the words difficult to retrieve, his eyes flicking to the old desk to his right, its surface covered in haphazard scratches. "Hanging out. A-anyway, please, uh… sit." The hand in his hair lowered to motion to his bed and the stool underneath the desk in one movement, and then collided weakly with a slap against his thigh. 

Laurance was closer to the bed– with it's only slightly ruffled sheets that made him question what Garroth had  _ actually _ been doing– so he took a careful seat on the edge of it and rested his elbow on his knee, leaning forward. The other man had seemingly no desire to sit on an actual chair, and Laurance watched as Garroth propped all his weight onto the corner of the desk and crossed his arms. 

"So, why're you here?" His face reddened, and Laurance thought it was a lovely contrast to the offwhite of his hair. "I-I mean– sorry– I meant… is there anything I can… help you with."

By now, Laurance was quite used to the stuttered apologies of the other man. He'd found it annoying at first, but over time it began to bring a small smile to his face. He came to understand that Garroth just had trouble getting his mouth to sound as kind as his heart or as sharp as his mind at times. "No," said Laurance quietly with a small shake of his head. "I just came to spend time with you." 

Garroth's baby blues widened as much as they had when he'd seen Laurance at his door. "W-with me?"

He nodded. "Yup. We don't do it often, so I figured…" The brunette considered he probably shouldn't say “I had nothing else to do”. "I figured… who else would I spend my time with?"

Garroth's weight shifted, and he took a deep breath when he ran his hand through his hair a second time. He let out an airy chuckle after a moment, crossing his arms tighter than before. "I dunno, Dante, Lucinda? Aphmau, surely."

Laurance shifted, moving to sit against the headboard on Garroth's bed. He busied himself with removing the metal plating on his hands and setting them aside. "Nah," he began casually, "I see them all the time."

"You see me all the time, too."

He pretended he didn't struggle with the guard on his right forearm. "Yeah, but we never have, like… b-bro time, y'know?"

"‘Bro time’," came the flat response.

"Yup. Just you and me. Most of the time we spend together is just doing things for or protecting Aphmau." Laurance paused a moment, then met Garroth's gaze with a kinder smile and a twinkle in his eye. "Is it so bad that I want to know  _ you _ ? Just Garroth Ro’meave, and not the guard of Lady Aphmau? Not the prince of O’Khasis, the member of the Jury of Nine?"

Garroth only looked at him, his brows furrowed and something searching in his eyes. The light in the room was dim from there being only one lamp and no low windows, but Laurance could see his jaw work as he felt the words in his mouth. Eventually, the blonde released all the tension from his body with a groan of defeat. 

"Fine! Fine, you can see it. But you can't call me girly or anything, alright?"

Laurance's eyebrow raised high. "See wh–"

Garroth turned to rummage through a drawer in the desk, and the creak of it opening silenced Laurance. He took off his other forearm guard with a bit more negligence, his attention mostly focused on trying to see the contents of the drawer from where he sat a few feet away. It was fruitless, but it didn't matter when Garroth gingerly pulled out the contents and walked over to take a heavy seat on the edge of the bed in front of Laurance. 

He held his palm open flat, and in it rested a chunk of wood the size of a small pinecone. At first Laurance was confused, squinting down at it hard, but after a moment he realized it was meant to be a bird. It was more of a fat oval with no legs, but Laurance forced himself to make it out to be an endearingly overweight robin of some type. It had a line on each side of it's head for eyes, and it's only distinguishing features were it's closed beak and fanning tail. It kind of looked like it was sitting lazily in the sun. 

Laurance took it carefully from the man, brushing his thumb over the rugged wood that had not yet been sandpapered down. He turned the robin in his hands with intrigue. The pad of his thumb ran over a particularly coarse section on the bird's side, and he looked up to Garroth in silent questioning. 

Garroth had his lips pursed tight and almost appeared he was going to cry, which was an odd look for him. "The um," he managed thickly, "wings broke off."

Laurance nodded, understanding, and placed the bird back in the man's hand. "It's… cute. I'm sure you can get the wings back on somehow. And if not, you can make another one." He felt himself getting more and more nervous the more he looked at Garroth's despairing expression. "Don't be sad. I don't think you're girly."

Garroth closed his hand around the robin, averting his gaze. 

"Is this something you've decided to get into? A… hobby? Is that what they call it?"

Blonde hair shifted gently when the man nodded. "How do you not know what a hobby is, Laurance…"

The brunette laughed, shrugging. "I mean, I do, but I've never had time for one myself. My life's just brought me on another path, is all." He tried to focus less on thoughts of his miserable childhood and more on the curiosity brought about by the behaviour of the man in front of him. He wondered if this is what the  _ real _ Garroth was like. Someone insecure and lost, who didn't know how to live outside of his bravado and duty.

They weren't too different in the end; but at least Garroth was trying to find his way. 

"I cook," Laurance blurted quickly. "B-but that's not really a hobby. It's just something I can do, and I have fun doing it."

"That's a hobby, Laurance." Garroth looked at him with amusement, trying hard to keep a smile from his face.

He sputtered a bit, pouting when he felt heat in his ears. "Shuddup. Nobody cooks for their hobby." Garroth was about to protest, a teasing expression rising to his features, but Laurance promptly cut him off. "Ah ah ah, no. Unless you're a certain Meifwa in town, cooking is just something you do to live."

Garroth shook his head, a grin tugging at his lips and a boyish laugh bred somewhere between a chuckle and a fit of giggles rising from his throat. "Okay, okay, whatever you say," he offered, and Laurance knew he'd never drop the subject even though he said "We'll agree to disagree."

Laurance shook his head and smiled as he replayed the genuine laugh in his head once more. Maybe that was the real Garroth, too. Not just someone who offered an amused chuckle every once in a while, but someone who could relax, laugh, and mean it from the bottom of his heart. 

"Fine, truce." Laurance neatened the pile of armor he'd removed beside him, and then rubbed his forearm in thought. "Hey, y'know… Maybe you could teach me to make those. We'll do it together."

Garroth's spine straightened and blue met blue with an ecstatic "Really?!"

Laurance could swear the blonde was looking younger with every outburst. He nodded with a small hum of laughter, reaching for the robin out of Garroth's hand. He inspected it again, a thoughtful smile pulling his lips upward. It wouldn't be so bad to discover more about the real,  _ person _ Garroth.

"Yeah," Laurance murmured, "and we'll make the next ones go on a diet."


End file.
